Cranberry-Walnut Rugelach
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Cranberry-Walnut Rugelach

Prep: 45 minutes plus chilling and cooling
Bake: 20 minutes • Makes: 48 cookies

Rugelach Dough

1 package (8 ounces) PICS cream cheese, softened
1 cup PICS unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1/4 cup PICS sour cream
1/2 cup PICS powdered sugar
1 teaspoon PICS salt
1 teaspoon PICS vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups PICS all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting

Cranberry-Walnut Filling

1 cup finely chopped sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup PICS walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 cup PICS granulated sugar plus additional for sprinkling
1 teaspoon PICS ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon PICS honey
4 tablespoons PICS unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Rugelach Dough: In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, butter and sour cream until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Add powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour just until blended. Gather dough into ball and divide into 6 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.

2. Cranberry-Walnut Filling: In medium bowl, combine cranberries, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil. In small microwave-safe bowl, heat honey in microwave oven on high 10 seconds or until melted. Sprinkle work surface with flour and roll out 1 disk into 9-inch circle. Brush dough with some of the honey. Sprinkle dough with 3 tablespoons filling; lightly press filling into dough. With pizza wheel or knife, cut dough into 8 equal wedges. Starting with curved edge, roll each wedge into jellyroll shape, and place, point side down, onto prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, honey and filling. Brush cookies with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

4. Bake cookies on 2 oven racks 20 minutes or until golden brown, rotating sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Slide cookies from parchment or foil onto wire racks to cool. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 1 week or in freezer up to 3 months.


Approximate nutritional values per serving (2 cookies):
255 Calories, 17g Fat, 8g Saturated Fat, 36mg Cholesterol, 129mg Sodium,
25g Carbohydrates, 1g Fiber, 12g Sugars, 12g Added Sugars, 3g Protein

Chef Tip:
To toast walnuts, spread walnuts in single layer on rimmed baking pan and bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until golden brown. To freeze cookies, tightly wrap unbaked cookies on cookie sheets with plastic wrap and freeze up to 2 months. Bake frozen cookies as directed above, adding 3 to 5 minutes to baking time.